At the beginning
by Sunny Ice
Summary: "No! This isn't a coincidence. This isn't even bad luck. This, Richard Castle, is a sign!" Countdown to the wedding with everything that can go wrong.
1. Seven days to go- Houghton

**AN: **Because of the great response I got to „_My life for ours_" (which is complete- it won't get any new chapters) I post for this more frequently than I would usually do. Won't promise anything though ;-)

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_We were strangers_

_Starting out on a journey_

_Never dreaming_

_What we'd have to go through_

_-At the beginning_

**One week before the Beckett-Castle-wedding**

"We're getting married!" He squealed happily.

"I know." She replied, not looking up.

"I less than a week!"

"I know."

"It's in the newspaper!"

"I know!"

"They wrote your name wrong."

"I -what!?"

Kate snatched today's newspaper out of her fiancé's hands.

"New York's famous mystery writer and four years ago most eligable bachelor number eight Richard Castle finally settled down. The muse for his book's, Katherine HOUSTON Beckett-," With fury in her eyes she looked at him. "How could they get my name wrong? I even wrote it down for them!"

"Sometimes they just have a mistake by typing it in...Yeah, this is Rick Castle, I need to talk to your boss." Rick had his cellphone on his ear and looked back at Kate.

She'd known that the press would be after them once he needed to drown the rumors by anouncing their wedding. But she wrote her name under the invitation in straight letters, neatly to read next to his messy signature.

Kate groaned inwardly. She loved Castle, she really did. But sometimes she wished he wasn't that famous.

She took a deep breath as he tried to stay polite with informing the guy from the newspapers that they got his fiance's name wrong.

"Yes, that's right. Houghton." He spelled it out for the guy on the other end of the line. "No, we won't do that," he laughed now. A strained laughter, she noticed, but he needed the press on his side. "Okay. Thank you. Bye."

He turned back to Kate and strode towards her. "They're get it right in tomorrow's edition."

She was still wary. "I know it's not as easy as Mary or something, but Houston? Seriously? Who am I? Whitney?"

"Come here." He enveloped her in a calming hug.

"It's ridiculous."

"I know. What more could you have done than writing it down, I mean-"

"No, not that." She laid her forehead on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. What used to make her crazy, was now soothing for her entire being. "Freaking out over that," she mumbled.

"It's your wedding, you're supposed to be edgy," he smiled.

"It's not my wedding alone, it's yours as well, as I remember the colour-scheme discussion." Now she smiled too.

"Hey, it is an important question if the table-cloths are eggshell or cream!"

"Sure it is." Kate leaned back and brushed a strand of hair from his face.

"I still can't believe it." He would've retorted that the name of the colour is a criteria to choose, but he knew, she didn't mean that.

"I know." He kissed her briefly. "But we've been through heaven and hell and finally we're where we're supposed to be."

u-_-u

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**If someone has any knowledge about the origins and meaning of the name Houghton I would appreciate the info. I've never heard the name before...  
**EDIT: Thanks for the numerous infos about K. Hepburn, I now see Beckett in another shade of light ;-)

**Leave a review!-)**

...and check out my other Castle story _"Save and sound"._


	2. Six days- Lanie

**AN:**Changed the first chap, because I forgot to start it with the lyrics of the song this ff is named after. If it rings a bell- it's from the movie „Anastasia", my absolute favourite. Song is sung by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx. I recommend you listen to it while reading this.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Castle" or the song „At the beginning".  
Claimer: The way the characters are composed (aka "the storyline") is my intellectual property.

_Now here we are_

_And I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you  
_

**Six days to the wedding**

"What do you mean?"

"I-I'm very sorry Ms. Beckett, but...I can't find it."

"So you mean you can't find my dress one week before the wedding?"

If looks could kill, Espo and Ryan would have to interrogate her for the murder of a young woman.

"Girl, let me do that," Lanie pulled Kate back at the shoulder and adressed the attendant.

"You have searched everywhere for her dress? Even in the back closets?"

"Yes, I searched everywhere, the whole shop had been turned upside down." Tears brimmed behind her eyes and made Beckett everything but calmer.

"Do you know how much this dress had cost me?" With every word she stabbed the counter with her finger.

"We will give you the money you alre-"

"I'm not talking about the money! I'm talking about the time! The afternoons when I should have been interrogating suspects, the evenings when I should have searched for clues, hell the mornings I missed my training! The bad guys are running loose and I am not there to catch them, because I stand still in puffy white and now you're telling me THAT YOU LOST THAT DRESS?!"

It was already very rare that Detective Katherine Beckett was angry.

But there were only a handful of moments when she was in rage.

And now was one of them.

Lanie dragged her friend away from the crying girl at the counter. An older woman came to her, asking her quietly what was wrong. Since the girl was crying too hard to answer, she turned to the only one who seemed to be in her right mind: Lanie.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"YES-"

"NO!"

Lanie pushed Kate back down into the chair. Her message was clear: You won't use your skills to kill anyone today.

A sharp galnce and a deep breath from either woman later, Lanie looked back up to answer the question.

"My friend here is going to marry her fiancé in about six days. Today we wanted to pick up her dress, but the lady told us she couldn't find it."

"I am very sorry, we did anything in our power to search for the dress. Beckett, right?"

Lanie nodded, Kate glared.

"We can make a new one, the thing is... the fabric you chose for the skirt is out of stock right now. We get it in two days, that will delay the date we finish your dress about one day."

Kate jumped up, ready to give another piece of her mind. Lanie pushed her back down, glad her friend only had her badge on her and not her gun too.

"This is impossible," choosing to play her last ace, she continued in a cocky tone. "The wedding of Detective Kate Beckett and her fiancé _Richard Castle_ can't be delayed."

She had to fight the grin, when she saw the faces of the woman drop at the name of the famous groom.

Before anyone could say anything, another woman stomped into the shop. She had the proportions of Lanie and was about as tall and furious as Kate.

"What is that?!" Her screechy voice demanded. "Yesterday my brother picked up this dress for me, an hour ago I wanted to try it on, and you know what?!"

The women behind the counter seemed to shrink even more. The embarrasment took no end today.

"It was too tight! I felt fat in that thing and it was supposed to be the best day of my life and-"

"That's it."

Kate was the only one who heard, what the attendant had said.

"-feeling fat is the last thing I need...what?"

Next to her, in front of the counter, Kate smiled broadly. Lanie, reading the name tag over her shoulder, sighed deeply as her friend beamed.

"Beckett, Kate. That's my dress."

u-_-u

**I stood gaping when I heard about „newspaper" and „wedding" while watching Castle. And sometimes I think I forsee those happenings, but really I wrote this ff months ago and a dress for the bride is as unexpected as the announcement in the newspaper, when at least one of the couple is famous;-)**

**Drop me a review till next week!-)**


	3. Five days- Alexis

_No one told me, that I was going to find you_  
_ Unexpected, what you did to my heart_

**(Five days)**

"Alexis?"

"Dad? I'm in the middle of a lesson about-"

"I need a saw."

"What?"

"I said _I need a saw_."

"Are you writing about some crazy murder and want me to go to the toolstore on my way home?"

"No, Alexis, only daughter of mine, I want you to pack your stuff and come here with a saw."

"Dad, calm down...what happened?"

"The Corpse Bride."

"Dad..." she rubbed her temple, exhausted with the way he talked jibberish once again. This time though, something was different. Richard Castle not only sounded annoyed, but pretty desperate too.

"Again..what happened?"

"I wanted to rehearse my vow for Kate..."

Silence.

A click in Alexis' head.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh, Alexis. Now could you please come to Central Park and help your dad?"

"Why me?" It was the beginning of the term, she had just been sitting in her first course.

"Your grandmother has a hangover from her performance yesterday, Ryan and Espostio will never let me hear the end of it and Beckett should never have second thoughts about marrying a silly idiot."

"You think she would have said yes, if she wasn't aware of that fact?" Alexis chuckled.

"Hey!"

"Relax, Dad, I was joking, you're adorable, even if you stick your future wife's wedding ring on a branch."

u-_-u

* * *

**Although I'm one to be creeped by movies very easily, I loved 'Corpse Bride'.**

**And I could just picture Castle in a situation like this.**

**Oh, just so you know: I have Martha and the boys make an appearance too;-)**


	4. Four days- Martha

**AN: **Two on one day, because I will have so much stress in the next week, I don't know if I can post regularly.

Damn the opera!

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_When I lost hope  
You were there to remind me  
This is the start_

**(Four days)**

"Flooded?"

"Yes, flooded."

"In New York City?"

"Yes, in New York City."

"Stop mimicking me. Alright, and what are you gonna do about it?"

"We try everything we can, ma'am, but there is no chance that we have the room dry and ready in less than a week."

Martha sighed and hung her head.

"I just stopped by, asking for my son's, Richard Castle's, wedding, and you tell me now that the ballroom is not available for the reception?"

"We left a message on Mr Castle's phone."

"Has he answered yet?"

Before the man behind the counter could open his mouth, Martha shut him up with a raise of her hand.

"Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question." She looked around. "This is a hotel, don't you have any other rooms avaiable?"

"Not for an event like this."

"There's just 150 guests."

The man raised one eyebrow.

Martha tipped her little purse on the counter and rose one finger for him to listen.

Listen properly.

"We cancel our reservation. I expect the papers in two hours straight at the given adress. And be assured- this wasn't the worst. Your mistake has a tail you can't even see the end of yet."

And with a huff she turned around and left the hotel, not seeing how the man got slapped on the back of his head by his collegue, who had just been reading _Frozen Heat_.

u-_-u

**Comments?**


	5. Three days- Jim

**(Three days)**

"No."

"As if-"

"Yes.

"Katie-"

"I can."

"You can't."

"I am the bride, I _can_."

A sigh on the other end of the line.

"Katie, not even you can force a heavy cold away."

"It is my wedding day, dad, and I can do whatever I want. And if I want my dad here with me, so will it be."

"Honey, I will come visit you the day after, okay?"

"The day after we're on our way-"

"I know, I know your honeymoon."

Expectant silence.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"You sure you can't come by yourself?"

"I am so sorry, Katie-"

"You know my soon-to-be step-daughter?" Jim was glad that his daughter had gone so smoothly to chatting.

"I haven't met her in person, but you told me lots about Alexis."

"She's gotten her driving licence. And as with any other thing, she's a really good driver. Very reliable."

"That's great..." He stopped short. Uh-oh, this was where the conversation has been heading. "Kate..."

"No, dad, she's the only one I can send you."

"But-"

"Either you get yourself behind the wheel or Alexis will pick you up and bring you here. Your choice."

Johanna had called it "target-determined". He could only call it stubborn.

Jim sighed. Katie was the light of his life, and he already owed her more than any father ever should. She should be happy on her wedding day and if that meant getting into a car with a newbie driver, his head throbbing, his throat burning and his nose clogged, than so be it.

As Kate had said: it was her day. And he was honored that he meant so much to her that she pulled every trick up her sleeve to have him there.

"Give her my number and we'll talk about the details."

"Good." He could hear the smile on the other hand. And had to smile too.

u-_-u

**Someday I write an ff about Alexis getting her driver's license. I imagine her father to act like my mum: overprotective and panicking ;-)**


	6. Two days- the boys

**AN: **A big, fat thank you to all who have read, fav-ed, alerted and most of all reviewed.

Here the next chapter for you:-)

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**(Two days)**

"Moring!"

"Good morning, partner. Why so cheery?"

"Can't the best man of a famous novelist not be cheery two days to the wedding?"

"As Beckett and Castle and Lanie and I already told you, Javi, Alexis and Lanie are the best women for the cermony."

Ryan didn't take his eyes off his computer. Espo was hinting to be the best man for weeks now. When the couple had told him they picked someone else, he just became more insistent.

"I get that Beckett chose Lanie, she's been her best friend through heaven and hell, but tell me man, who makes his daughter his best man? Alexis isn't even a man."

Ryan rolled his eyes. He got that from Beckett.

"Stop being a baby. If you want to participate in the ceremony more than the average guest, I maybe can arrange something."

"Really? You would do that? Awesome! Which part's not covered yet?"

"I thought about asking Jenny if there is need for a sorority _brother_." His smirk was lit the same moment Espo's dropped.

"Ha-ha, very funny, partner."

"You forgot my wedding?"

A dreamy smile made Esposito's lips curl upwards again.

"How could I?" The evening had been funny, and with Lanie and their thing getting better it had been a nice evening with friends and hopes for a date with a certain ME.

"And how the sorority sisters were the center of attention whenever Jenny or I took a brief break from dancing?"

"Now that you mention that..."

"And you can stand with Lanie at the front, making her having eyes only for you." Ryan bribed on. His fingers and eyes never left the computer.

"As if she could look anywhere else when I'm near."

"And you will get to have pictures taken with Castle and Beckett and Lanie."

His eyes left the keyboard and searched for his cellphone, going through the contacts.

"And you don't even have to say anything, so if your brain goes south..."

He held up his hand with a phone-number.

Esposito took the piece of paper and looked at it.

"Who's that?"

"Don't recognize it? Search your phone or call it regardless."

His partner just frowned but didn't say anything. Being a gamer, he dialed the number.

"Hello?" A female voice greeted.

"Hey, it's me. Listen, I have a question here, Jenny..."

Ryan just smirked. He didn't become a Detective for not reading people.

u-_-u

**One day to go. It will be longer, probable half of the lenght of the entire ff.**

**And it haunted me, when I wrote that part. I dreamt the sequence like six times...yeah.  
Leave me an opinion on this, please.**


	7. One day-Gates

**AN:I hope, you're still with me...one day left and then the huge chapter with the wedding day!-)  
**Thanks to **_wendykw_ for telling me that I invented a new term: _savory_ sister. Copyrighted now ;-)  
**

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**(one day to go)**

"Detective Beckett, can I have a word?"

"Sir?"

"In my office."

Beckett closed the door behind her, worried.

"Are you sure?"

Captain Gates held up an envelope.

"If it was just an accident, or politeness you can recline now."

"Sir, I don't think, I understand."

"A wedding is a place where some...I say people tend to act out of their unsual good behavior. A behaviour their boss shouldn't see."

Beckett still said nothing, although the understanding dawned that Gates was afraid to mix up personal and business. And the invitation to the Beckett-Castle-wedding surely did that.

"It was not an accident, Sir, and I believe that all of Castle's and my guests know how to behave."

Gates stared at her, but she didn't bugde.

Finally the captain caved.

"Good, I hope so too. I suggest you pack your things and head home now. You shouldn't stay up all night doing the final preperations."

Beckett left the office, furrowing a brow and walking past Castle to her desk.

"What was that all about?"

"I don't know," she said slowly. "Either she doesn't want to come to our wedding or she's afraid Espo will drink himself under the table."

"So? What did you do?"

"I told her we knew how to behave and she is still invited."

"Esposito is no alcoholic, but if someone drinks too much, you bouquet-whip them."

"Bouquet-whip?"

"Yeah, you know like pistol-whip, only with your bouquet."

"Are you saying that flowers are dangerous?" She smirked.

"No, what I'm saying is that you are- even in a white dress and armed with nothing but flowers."

"Aw, that is actually one of the sweetest compliments you ever made."

"Beckett! Castle! No PDA in the precinct!"

Both mumbled an apology as Beckett took her arms from around Castle's neck and he straightened the base of her blouse.

u-_-u

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**Tomorrow's season finale! Yeih!**

(Poor me has only seen S6 up to „Smells like teen spirit"...)

**Please leave a review!**


	8. The Wedding

**AN: WARNING:huge chapter ahead, word count says 5474 words.**

**I could have split it, but it would somehow destroy the concept of one day-one chapter.**

(All signs are explained on my profile)

* * *

**(the wedding)**

"Dress?"

"Check."

"Veil?"

"Check."

"Shoes?"

"Check."

"Sexy underwear?"

"..."

"Oh honey, don't you tell me you don't wear something sexy as hell beneath that dress?"

"Lanie! I'm going to wear my dress longer than I wear my work clothes, so I go for the comfortable type."

Lanie just looked at her.

"Fine, I wear lace. Happy?"

"It's not me you should make happy with this decision."

"Sure, but why does it feel like it?"

"Shut up and pack your things, we have to go."

w-_-w

"Castle!"

_knock-knock_

"Castle!"

_knock-knock-knock_

"He awake yet?"

"I dunno. CASTLE!"

"What if we gave him a bit too much last night?"

"It was his bachelor-party, what else but drinking where we supposed to do after he refused to go to a strip-club?"

"Wow, Javi, now that sounds so wrong."

"You know what I mean. But the party would have been useless if he misses his own wedding."

"Wait...here."

"You have a key to his apartment and I probably would have shouted until I lost my voice?!"

"You would have picked the lock or busted the door, so come down. Castle?"

"Ugh...Ryan? That you?"

"Back there. Yes Castle, it's us, Esposito and Ryan, you decent?"

"I-I think...how late is it?"

"Eleven o'clock. Don't tell me...man, Castle! You're going to marry in about three hours, and you're not even up yet?!"

"ELEVEN?" He jumped up. "I told you to call me around seven so I'll be ready!"

"We did, you didn't answer."

"And you didn't come here immediately to check on me? What kind of cops are you?"

"Hey! Apart from the fact that today's our day off and we're civilians like you, who saved you so many times?"

"And who got to drive my Porsche for that?"

"Guys! Okay, Castle, you go shower, Javier and I will get your things ready. Hurry, we have one hour to get going."

w-_-w

"Uhm, grandma, I really hope you get this message, because my cell is almost empty. See I'm on the highway and I can't reach Kate's father and the car broke down and...hello? Oh darn it!"

w-_-w

"I can't thank you enough for letting us have the golden room, Elise. It is so much better than the one my son wanted. And it has so much more glamour."

"You're welcome, Martha, and I have to thank you for letting my niece be the photographer! She's going to have so many beautiful photos for her application to art's school. And it being a celebrity-wedding adds to the quality."

"Oh, the quality is in her hands, but I think the light makes it pretty easy. I just wonder why nobody called me yet, they told me they would when they leave New York..."

"It's a long drive up here, I think they're okay. Martha...is everything alright?"

"Oh gosh!"

w-_-w

"What do you mean 'it rings out here'?"

"I mean, someone's cell is on the counter."

"See who calls."

"_Richard_."

"Castle? Are you calling someone?"

He hopped out of the bedroom, trying to brush his teeth, put on his left shoe and keep his cellphone between his shoulder and cheek.

"Mafa."

"Are you calling Martha?"

He nodded.

"This her phone?"

He nodded again, slower.

Espostio ended the call on the woman's phone.

"Then we have to call the friend of Martha who lets us use her castle."

"I don't have her number..." Castle's eyes bulged, the toothbrush dropped to the floor.

"What do you-"

"I mean my mother organized all these things, I never talked to her friend."

"Okay...but you have her name?"

"What are you thinking, Kevin?"

"We're cops, Javi, we ask someone at the station to search for her and give us her number."

"But-"

"Karpowsky might help us, she's done so often."

"Ryan-"

"Or Mendez, or-"

"RYAN!"

"What?"

"Or we look her up in Martha's contacts." Espo held up the phone, one brow risen.

"Or we do that."

w-_-w

"Don't you have a bigger car?"

"I'm a medical examiner, working for and living in New York, do you really think I need a second car?!"

"Yeah, but this one is-"

"All I can effort, and all I am willing to effort, for I never need it."

"I wanted to say _small_, but okay."

Lanie shoved one of the bags further into the back of her car. "If you wouldn't need so much for your wedding, we won't have a problem right now."

"Most of the stuff isn't for me, but for the guests. Presents, flowers, rice..."

"And I always took you for the little chapel type."

"I am, but since I marry 'famous mystery novelist Richard Castle'," she mocked his tone, "we have to invite his friends like the major, his publisher, his-"

"Alright, I get it, it's a big, over the top wedding with way too much stuff. Why didn't you rent a limousine? Or at least a moving-truck?" She pocked one of the bags with her foot. The car was loaded,still bags and boxes were standing on the floor of the garage she kept her car.

"Someone else we could ask?"

"Kate...no."

"Please, Lanie, he's our last hope."

"What about Gates?"

"When she arrives the presents should be already there."

"Then so shall it be." She went around to the driver's door, ready to drive to the Captain's place.

"Lanie...please. Let me call him."

"He didn't want to come in the first place, what makes you think he changes his mind now?"

"Because...just let us ask him."

"..."

"Please."

"Fine! But I sit in the back with my earplugs, you take the passenger seat."

"Thank you!" She hugged her friend and took the phone out of Lanie's hands in one go.

"Don't you have his number?"

Kate held up one hand, silencing Lanie.

"Oh, hello Dr Perlmutter, this is Kate Beckett, may I ask you what you have planned for today?"

w-_-w

"Martha?"

"Actually she forgot her phone in Rick Castle's loft. This is Kevin Ryan a collegue of Beckett...I mean Kate."

"I remember you. From when Rick and Kate got lost with this witness...anyway, Martha's granddaughter should have picked me up by now, but she isn't here and I can't reach her. You know what happened?"

He looked around in the loft. It was obvious that Alexis wasn't here, but he was looking for Esposito. Maybe he knew something. Though that was unlikely, for the both detectives had spend the day never more than a few feet from each other. For a moment Kevin wondered if he spent the same amount of time awake with his wife.

"Mr Beckett, I don't know where she could be, but I pull some strings and then tell you." With that he hung up.

Castle had entered the kitchen, and Ryan didn't want him to know that his daughter was lost.

"You ready here? Good, I'll go program the navi." And out the door he was, hearing a faint "I already did that!" from Castle before the door to the loft closed behind him.

First thing- find Alexis Castle. Cop-style. "This is Detective Kevin Ryan, badge number 40344, I need you to trace the car of Detective Kate Beckett..."

w-_-w

"You know I still don't understand why you're doing this. Almost six years this man went on your nerves, made you stomp out fuming and wrote books about you, that I don't want to switch places with you. And after all this, and likely so much more I didn't and don't want to hear about, you're marrying him?"

"Yes, Perlmutter, because beside his childish side he is-"

"I do not want to hear about that either. I know women like the rich and famous type of man, but isn't he a bit old for you?"

Beckett stopped rubbing her forehead and turned her head to the man currently driving her and her best friend to her wedding with the famous novelist who happened to be her shadow for the last six years.

"What kind of argument is that?"

"I'm just saying. You're young and still have the whole thing about being domestic ahead of you. You have a good carrier, although I still don't know why you gave up working for the FBI, and can find a man without...his past."

"What do you mean?" She asked wearly. She had a pretty good idea of what he meant, but she wanted him saying it.

The suspect should admit being guilty.

"He was married twice and god knows how many women he didn't ever saw a second time after they left his bedroom! And what about his daughter? If you want to have children with him, she could go as their mother."

Beckett ground her teeth. Perlmutter was doing her a favor, but dragging Alexis into this was one straw too many.

"Dr Perlmutter, I highly appreciate you driving us; but as you said- you don't want to know certain parts of Castle and I doing. And the topic children is one of it, right?"

He only huffed and focused on the street.

"I just wanted to help until it's too late."

w-_-w

"Hello Miss, can we help you?"

"Oh thank god, yes, yes you can help me. I'm on my way to pick the father of my father's fiance up and my car broke down. This is- it's the car of my father's fiance. And if I'm not hurrying she'll be my father's wife, although I believe my dad won't marry her without me and she won't marry him without her dad and most likely me and-"

"Miss, can you ID yourself?"

Alexis frowned, but since one of the deputys was already looking under the hood of Beckett's car, she went to grab her purse and show the second officer of Highway Partol her driving license instead of rambling.

"Seems like we found you." He smiled.

Alexis took a step back. This words didn't sound reassuring. Her fingers found the necklace with the GPS-Tracker her grandpa had given her when she had been hijacked.

"Found me?" Her voice quivered.

"Yeah, Detective Ryan from the 12th called, saying we should look out for Alexis Castle, she didn't arrive where she should have."

"Hey Jack, I've found it!" The deputy called from a few feet away.

Hesitantly Alexis followed the officer to the broken car.

"Me too, Simon, this is the woman Ryan talked about, Alexis Castle."

"Nice to meet you," Simon said than stepped aside to let her have a look under the hood as he explained.

"Pretty difficult to find why this baby gave up. You're not driving long-distance often, do you?"

Alexis shook her head, and refrained from telling him that it wasn't her car.

"It's a pain with this kind of cars- the oil gets too hot, when you just use the regular cooling-liquid. A bit of clear water helps with that, thanks." He took the bottle from his collegue and opened the lid to fill the water in.

"Don't worry, there are few people in the city who know about this error."

He smiled at her reassuringly.

Within minutes the problem was solved and Alexis could climb back in the car. Jack came to her window and smiled.

"Send our greets to Ryan. And don't worry, from what I've heard, Beckett does nothing without counting her sheeps beforehand." Then he clapped onto the roof of the car twice and turned around to go back to his own.

She let out a breath and started the car. It was purring like a cat again, luckily. Pushing another CD in the radio, she remined herself to thank her dad for marrying a cop with good friends.

Gina would've let her rot on that highway.

w-_-w

"You okay?"

"Yeah-yeah sure. I'm okay, I'm more than okay, I'm-I'm super, super-duper-perfect-fine."

Espo excahnged a glance with Ryan in the rearview mirror. Castle was a nervous wreck.

"Dude, you have done this before, are you really having doubts about Beckett being the right one?"

Castle head whipped around as if he had forgotten that his friend sat behind him.

"This is completely different," he sighed deeply and let his head fall back to repeat what he had told them the evening before.

"Kate is my charm, my one and done. She is the first one I'm completely sure I want to marry because I love her and nothing else. Meredith was pregnant with Alexis, and for I never had an average family I wanted that for my kid. Back then I thought I loved Meredith. After her Gina was the first woman that meant something to me. She knew the whole me- that I wasn't only a writer, but also a father. And for she had taken part in my fame it seemed to me like I owed her.

But with Kate..." he got that faraway look on his face he often got when he thought about her. "I love her, I would do anything for and with her. And I realized that she became the most important woman next to my mother and daughter to me. But-" he chuckled, "you will hear all the reasons in a few hours."

The three men grinned, knowing that the writer's vow would be nothing short of emotions he would finally be able to pour out in front of everyone.

"Okay, uhm, can we stop for a break now, I really need to go now." Way to break the moment he himself created.

Esposito stopped at a gas-station. He went to grab some coffee, while Ryan adjusted the cockpit of the car so he could continue the drive.

When he went back to the car with two regulars and one decaf for the groom, he saw him standing in front of his partner, his hand pressed on his forehead.

On his heavily bleeding forehead.

w-_-w

As Beckett, Lanie and Perlmutter arrived a whole bunch of people was already waiting. They where almost half an hour later than she had wanted to be there because Perlmutter thought he knew the route. She and Lanie had decided to give him at least a map for his next birthday.

Sneaking carefully around to the back of the castle, they found a few waiters from the catering to help them carry in the boxes. The weather the last days had turned most of the grass into mud, making it difficult to walk Beckett turned around to get her dress and shoes from the car, she saw a young man carrying the bag with the dress and the boy with the shoes up the little hill.

Before she could smile and thank him, she saw what she couldn't believe- as if in slow-motion, the man stumbled over the long bag, let go of the box, which flew through the air, spilling the contents; struggled in vain and finally fell face first onto the bag. With a shocked expression in his mud-covered face he scrambled from the ground, trying to pull the bag from the sticky surface. With no success. The bag was covered in mud, the stains on both sides revealed that the dress was all but white now.

Kate's knees gave in and she followed her dream of a dress onto the ground.

w-_-w

"Would you mind if I turn on the heater? I'm freezing."

With two blankets and 74°F outside it was highly unlikely, but since Jim Beckett had not only a cold, but the flu as Alexis had rather quickly discovered, she didn't say anything and nodded.

It would only be a few minutes then she could turn it off, she thought.

w-_-w

"Katherine! What a...are you alright?" Martha's flourish died the second she saw her almost daughter-in-law sitting on the pavement.

"No Ms Rogers, she isn't. Her dress just got ruined and her shoes alone with it. But as you can see, Dr Parish already is on the problem." Perlmutter stood with his arms crossed and watched as Lanie almost literally ripped the poor man's head off. Her gestures suggested she told him about her job and her friends and how nobody would even think about searching his dead body.

"I think the more recent problem we should take care of is her," she pointed to the shocked Kate.

"She doesn't react. I ordered one of the waiters around here to bring me blanket for her. Hopefully the girls are better at what they're doing." He scoffed, still watching Lanie.

Martha thanked the girl and took the blanket from her to wrap it around Kate's shoulders. While doing so, she talked relentlessly to her. Seeing that is no use, she said, "I'm sorry, Katherine," and pinched her in the back of her hand. It worked. Kate blinked rapidly and looked at the older woman. "Martha, hi," then she realized something, "Why am I crying?" Unbelieving he touched her cheek. Tears were flooding down.

"You went in a shock when...you know what, you should really go inside and freshen up your make-up." Perlmutter didn't want to risk her blanking out again.

He helped Martha getting Kate off the ground and inside, where he left the two woman to sit on a couch.

Then he went to get his collegue away from the waiter. This wasn't the day to work when you're a ME, he decided.

w-_-w

"Bad?"

"Uhm..." Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. The bloody gush on Castle's forehead was not serious, but not nice either.

"Are you wearing a hat?"

"No..."

"Then you should probably do that."

"What kind of idiot runs into a toilet-door the day he marries?" Castle scolded himself.

"Hey, you're nervous, it happens. To some people." Ryan added as he recieved a glare.

"Now get in, we don't wan to be hurt and late." Esposito ushered them back into the car.

w-_-w

A sneeze was the first thing the people at the picnic area heard as Alexis exited the car.

Although the last break was just half an hour ago, Jim had to get rid of all the used tissues. Again.

The temperature in the vehicle was almost 80 degrees, because all attempts of Alexis to keep it low ended in Jim sneezing even harder.

The bag with boxes over boxes of tissues was almost empty, the second bottle of hot tea was following suit.

Receiving strange glances from the people around, Alexis opened the backdoor and got her jacket out. It was sunny and warm, but the sudden change of temperature didn't do her any good.

"Alexis, you shouldn't leave the heater turned on, you'll end up ill too."

"No, it's okay, Jim, I have a very good immune-system." They had found that neither 'grandpa' nor 'Mr Beckett' worked for them, so she called him by his first name.

"I would not allow my granddaughter to get ill the day she actually becomes my granddaughter." He smiled and went to the back of the car, opening the trunk.

"Ah, I knew it. My Katie has learned something from all the camping-trips." His smile became even braoder as he fished a blanket from the go-bag Kate kept in her car.

"See," he turned to Alexis after he had closed the trunk and slung the blanket over his shoulders. "I'm warm and you don't suffer from the heat."

Not knowing what to say, Alexis smiled. And then sneezed again.

w-_-w

"I can't see Lanie's car, maybe they're not here yet."

"Come on, it's Beckett and Lanie, they have to be here."

The two detectives went to the backside too, searching for the ladies.

They found lots of waiters preparing meals and presents, but not one face was familiar.

"Excuse me," Esposito grabbed one of the waiters and stopped him. "You know where the bride is?"

The girl looked at a collegue.

"I'm a friend of hers." Espo explained.

"In the lounge room, third door on the left."

"Shouldn't she be upstairs, preparing in one of the bedrooms? Jenny and her friends did that." Ryan whispered as they walked.

"Yeah, but this is no church and Beckett is not Jenny. And to be honest: would you have to carry so many stuff a bride needs up stairs?"

He opened the door and came to a sudden halt.

"Beckett." He saw her sitting on one of the chaiselounges as tears were still running down her face.

"Hey Javi, Kevin." She acknowledged the men and blew into a tissue Martha reached her.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

Beckett's eyes welled up again as she gestured with her hands, unable to say something without bursting in tears.

Martha jumped in. "One of the waiters ruined her dress and shoes, Dr Parish went with my friend upstairs to find something Katherine can wear." Then she noticed something. "Shouldn't you be with Richard?"

"He is outside, greeting the guests." They had found a hat in a shop at a gas station to cover the bruise so he looked presentable.

Most of the guests were invited by him- friends from politics, uprising authors, donators from Black Pawn.

Kate had wanted to invite her friends from the precinct as well as Maddie, her highschool friend, both her collegues had mostly work to do and Maddie was not in town. For many more of them wasn't room in the castle, but as long as Esposito, Ryan, Jenny and of course Lanie and her dad were there she didn't care that much.

The door opened and a woman as old as Martha entered the room with a mug of tea in her hands. Both men immediately assisted her, taking the mug out of her hands and closing the door behind her.

"Well, thank you, gentlemen." She smiled. "Martha, do you know a Mrs Gates?"

The detectives' heads' shot up.

"She's our boss," Kate brought out. "What's with her?"

"Jordan, my assistent says she came here a few hours ago and somehow found the campagne."

A sigh escaped the cops in the room. Great, their captain was drunk. She herself had warned about it and now.

"Maybe she warned me from herself," Kate mumbled and pressed the heels of her hand on her eyes.

A knock on the door interrupted their thoughts. "Can I come in?" A young female voice asked.

"Come in, sunshine, did you have a good ride?" Martha went to hug her granddaughter. As the girl cought, she pulled away, examining her closely.

Then she caught the sight of Jim Beckett standing behind Alexis.

Normally Martha Rodgers would say he looked averagely handsome, but right not he looked awful.

She looked down again at the girl in her arms and noticed the red eyes, the unusual paleness of her skin and the fact that she was breathing through her mouth.

"Oh Alexis," she pulled her granddaughter close again.

Then, after a curt greeting, she told Jim, "Go inside, but don't come too close to Katherine, she mustn't get sick." He nodded and apologized again as he passed Alexis.

"And you, young lady, come with me." As they passed the backdoor, Jenny came in.

Before one of the women could even open her eyes a shrill voice behind them caught their attention.

"Be a man, Kevin Ryan, and down the wodka!"

"Captain, I don't think this is such a good idea." He backed out of the kitchen, trying to get away from his drunken boss. He had gone to look after her, but she had nothing else but alcohol on her mind at the moment.

"This is a competition, take it like a man and don't back down."

She was surprisingly understandable, seeing she must have had more than one bottle already.

Ryan, wanting to escape the house, ran past his wife and the other two.

As if struck by lightning, Gates stopped.

For long seconds she just stared.

Stared at Jenny.

"Juliet!" She screamed and lunged forward in an attempt to hug the woman, which was way smaller than she.

"Captain...Sir...could you please...would you mind...let go of my wife!" Ryan tried to free Jenny from the hug.

Jenny herself just stood there, not knowing what to do. As soon as she was free, Ryan grabbed her hand and shouted, "Run!"

"Wha..what?" Jenny dropped the parcels she had been holding and scurried behind her husband.

"Ask later, run now!" Was the last thing heard, before they rounded a corner.

Dumbfounded, Gates, Martha and Alexis looked after them.

Suddenly Gates broke into tears. "Tha-ha-hat was my Juliet! It's been so long, so long since I've-I've seen her!"

Martha took her by the arm and pulled her up the stairs, followed by Alexis, who wasn't sure if this wedding could get any weirder.

w-_-w

Castle felt more and more a panic rising in his chest.

He opened another door to find the man. And was sure the surprises would just not end today.

w-_-w

The door flew open and revealed Richard Castle himself.

"Kate! What's wrong?" Regardless of all the traditions, he flew over to her and took her in his arms.

"Are you okay, are you hurt?" He asked, pulling her closer, just to make sure she was still there.

Maybe this was all just a bad dream.

"Oh Rick," she sniffled and buried her face in his shoulder. "Today's just not our day."

"Tell me about it," he laughed, then stopped abruptly, "Wait, what do you mean?"

Kate pulled away from his embrace and motioned for him to sit down.

She took his hands in hers and began to explain all of the bad luck that had happened. Why Perlmutter was here, and how her dress and shoes got ruined.

"And this wedding was supposed to be the best day of my life," she ended, still sniffling.

"Richard Castle, don't you have any manners?" Lanie came into the room, not having found anything and her mood beyond annoyed. She went past him and snatched the hat from his head, revealing the huge gush on his forehead. Kate gasped upon seeing it and Esposito, who had been sitting a few feet away in a chair ran a hand over his face.

Before anyone could get the chance to say anything the door flew open again.

"Rick, there you are! I haven't found Carol, but James says she is stuck in traffic. Lucy called her landline and said she picked up, completely groggy. Do you have someone else who can hold the ceremony?" A man, Kate recalled him being a friend of Rick's, said.

"Wasn't Carol the woman who should have married you two?" Lanie asked.

Castle nodded, Kate's eyes bulged.

Slowly, she stood up.

"Just so I get this right: my dress, which has caused problems in the first place, is ruined along with my shoes; I had to drive here with Perlmutter and his whole you-shouldn't-marry-Castle-speech after the hotel I wanted the reception in was flooded; my father has the flu and infected Alexis too; my fiancé is injured and now nobody is there to hold the ceremony?" Her voice wavered, but otherwise seemed calm.

Nobody in the room even dared to breathe.

Kate bit her lip and opened the french doors behind her. "You'll excuse me, I need some fresh air." She stepped out and went to a little forest next to the castle.

Lanie, Esposito, Castle and his friend looked at each other. "I'll go after her," the writer decided and followed his fiance.

He found her with her face leaning against a tree.

"Kate..."

"Can you give me five minutes?" Still he could trace no telltale signs of tears by the sound of her voice.

"It's going to be alright, Kate," he said soothingly and stepped behind her.

As he placed a hand on her shoulder, she whipped around.

"No Castle, no! We've been through so much, and finally we commited to each other, but all is going down. The whole time since we became a couple things went south! No, really, even before that!" She was more than just angry. At whom, she didn't know, but since he was the only one here right now, he got to listen to her.

"The relationships, the case of my mother, the way we hurt each other- is that really a base to spend the rest of our lives together?"

"Kate, what are you-"

"Talking about? Hell Castle, I'm talking about Tom and Gina and the bombs and Brakken and the rich guy who kissed me and-and...the wedding. My dress was lost when I wanted to collect it, Lanie's car was too small, so we had to call Perlmutter and all he did was talking bad about you. And Alexis is ill and my dad too and Gates is drunk and...Jenny isn't here...and..." she trailed off, falling into his arms. "And I wonder what this world will throw at us, once we're married. Maybe...maybe we should blow this whole thing off, and live as boyfriend and girlfriend until we bore each other."

Castle couldn't believe his ears.

"Kate, for all the years I fought for you-"

"See!" She pulled away and ran a hand thorugh her hair. "You had to fight for me! Shouldn't it have been like love at first sight? At our second case I really wanted to shoot you, and years after I wasn't ready for us, so I lied."

"Kate..."

"No, Rick, you know what this is?" She made a wide gesture with her arms toward the castle. "This isn' bad luck, this, Castle, is a sign! A sign from the universe to tell us we should blow off this wedding."

Castle closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was only one way to calm Kate down now and he didn't hate it as much as he probably should.

"You're right." He said calmly.

"What?"

"You're right, Kate, we should blow this wedding off."

She looked at him unbelievníngly. All the times she had doubted their relationship he was there to tell her it was worthy all the fights. And now he didn't want to marry her anymore?

"Rick?"

"This is obviously not our day. I woke up too late, mother forgot her cellphone on the counter in the kitchen, Ryan had to track down your car to find Alexis on the highway."

He caught her gaze. "And he thinks I don't know about it. So yeah, maybe today is not the day we should get married."

Castle took a step towards the woman he loved as much as his daughter and mother, though in a complete different way.

"What I'm saying is that I still want to become your husband more than anything, but if today everything goes south, we can just postpone it. Wait for a better day."

Kate had to digest his words. She shook her head, realizing one practical thing: "But all of the guests are here."

"First- not all of them. Maddie and Rebecca and half of the precinct is missing. Second- we tell them that this is just the reception and that we are planning to wed afterwards."

She contemplated for a few seconds. Before she could answer him, she heard steps behind them.

All of their closest friends and family stood there. Lanie, Espo, Ryan and Jenny, Martha, Alexis, and Jim.

Castle turned to them, but spoke to Kate as he held her close to his body. "We ask Penny Marchand for the perfect date, I mean, she has told you about me being important to you too." He smiled his usual smile and Kate rolled her eyes at that.

"You have your mother's dress changed for you, so it would be ready anytime you need it to be." Jim came to hug his daughter.

"I can ask Reena to help with that. She knows about fashion." Alexis came to Kate and rubbed her shoulder. She had almost forgotten about the uprising model, since she went to fashion school in order to have something on her hands if her carrer ended.

"You can ask Madison if Jennifer Wong can bake you a cake when she is back from Europe." Lanie added and came over too. She still remembered the cookies Kate had brought down to the morgue after the case.

"And the actual reception will take place at the old haunt, since I happen to know the owner," Castle smiled and rubbed her shoulder as he held Kate in his arms again.

Everybody looked expectantly at Kate. It was her decision. She had the last word in this case.

In the silcence she broke into laughter. "Why didn't we do it like that in the first place?" She asked and went to hug each of her friends, who laughed with her.

u-_-u

* * *

**ubeta-ed, all mistakes are mine.**

...  
(read the preview for the finale...who the heck wrote the thing with O'Leary?)

**Come on! Leave me a review, please. Even if it's just a "like"...please?**

**If there's enough interest, I think about writing an epilogue ;-)**


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